Chapter 280: Reasonable Qi Han
Small Shop's afternoon service proceeded smoothly as usual.
After tasting the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, the four young women expressed great enthusiasm for the dish. Their fondness for it even exceeded that of the Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers.
After all, what girl could possibly resist such a dish—tangy and appetizing, sweet but not cloying, and delightfully crispy? Absolutely no one!
When night fell, Qi Han escorted the four women out, only to be surprised by the sight of a familiar figure standing in front of Small Shop's entrance.
"Senior Xuan Ye?" Qi Han greeted him before speaking again, "Are you here for a meal? Unfortunately, we've already closed for the day."
"Uh… no," Xuan Ye shook his head, a hint of awkwardness on his face. "I've come to make an unreasonable request."
Could it be that the Sea God Pavilion needed something from him?
Since Qi Han only knew of Xuan Ye's connection to the Sea God Pavilion, that was his immediate assumption.
With a thoughtful nod, he invited, "Please, come in and have a seat. We can talk inside."
Once Xuan Ye was seated, Qi Han brought over two glasses of water and sat across from him. "Senior Xuan Ye, is this about the Sea God Pavilion?"
"No, it's not," Xuan Ye shook his head. "It's like this—I'm quite fond of good food and, with nothing else to do, I serve as the president of Shrek City Culinary Association."
Shrek City Culinary Association?
Senior Xuan Ye was actually its president?
Thinking of Xuan Ye's easygoing personality and love of gourmet cuisine, Qi Han found this identity perfectly fitting.
Since Xuan Ye had mentioned his position, Qi Han quickly guessed the purpose of his visit.
The Shrek Food Festival, which would be held in a week, was organized by this very Culinary Association. It was clear that Xuan Ye's visit had something to do with the festival.
Registration for the food festival had already opened three days ago, but Qi Han hadn't rushed to sign up. He hadn't finished learning the 2 Star recipes yet and planned to complete them before registering.
"Senior, is this about the food festival?"
"Yes," Xuan Ye replied, looking slightly embarrassed. After all, he was a frequent diner at Small Shop, and now he had come to announce something unfavorable for the restaurant.
Although the decision wasn't entirely his idea—rather, it was the result of a majority vote after discussion—he still felt a bit guilty toward Qi Han.
Regardless of his feelings, he had to get down to business.
"Boss Qi, how much do you know about the food festival?"
After a moment of contemplation, Qi Han answered, "From what I know, the festival lasts three days. Afterward, the top ten dishes with the most votes are announced and receive varying degrees of promotion and recognition. The dish ranked first is declared the 'The Diners' Favorite Dish' among diners."
"That's correct, but…" Xuan Ye's tone shifted. "This year, Small Shop's participation may have a significant impact on the festival."
"In the festival, only the top ten dishes receive any recognition. However, this time, there's a very high chance that Small Shop will dominate the entire top ten."
As the person in question, Qi Han was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.
Come to think of it, he hadn't considered this possibility before. But recalling the previous experience with the Food Critique Magazines, it didn't seem far-fetched at all.
At this point, he roughly guessed why Xuan Ye had come.
If Small Shop really ended up monopolizing the top ten, it would be quite awkward for the food festival.
Although it wasn't his fault—the competition was simply too weak—Qi Han was, at heart, a reasonable person.
He was looking forward to tasting various cuisines from all over the continent at the festival. It wouldn't be fun if the event fell apart.
Without much hesitation, Qi Han responded straightforwardly, "Senior, how do you think we should resolve this?"
After all, the Side Quest from the system only required him to secure first place and make one of Small Shop's dishes the most popular. He didn't really care about dominating the entire top ten.
Honestly, when the competition was too weak, monopolizing the rankings didn't feel particularly rewarding.
Seeing Qi Han's expression, which seemed to say, "I understand where you're coming from," Xuan Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Here's the thing—the Culinary Association discussed it and decided that, starting this year, each restaurant will be limited to entering a maximum of nine dishes in the festival. Would this be acceptable to you, Boss Qi?"
A maximum of nine dishes?
So this is how they plan to prevent monopolizing the rankings?
For a moment, Qi Han didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He had initially thought that Xuan Ye was going to ask him to go easy on the competition, which he would have categorically refused.
As for the number of dishes he could enter, Qi Han didn't have any particular demands.
His purpose for participating in the food festival was simple:
First, to win first place and complete Side Quest Six.
Second, to attract more out-of-town diners drawn by the festival to dine at Small Shop, thereby speeding up the progress on Main Quest Seven.
Beyond those two objectives, he didn't have many other expectations, so the nine-dish limit didn't affect him much.
However… nine dishes?
Qi Han's mind stirred.
The dishes he was planning to showcase at the food festival were all newly developed ones.
Currently, he has not yet introduced the new dishes: Wensi Tofu, Jade Dragon Tendon, Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, and Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers. If everything went smoothly, he could later introduce four more two-star dishes, making a total of eight.
As for Bodhi Vegetarian Dish, Qi Han wasn't too optimistic.
Completing that dish before the food festival seemed impossible.
If he had to choose nine dishes, it would be a bit troublesome for someone like Qi Han, who suffered from decision paralysis.
The eight new dishes were definite participants, but which dish should he pick for the ninth slot?
After pondering for a while, Qi Han shook his head helplessly.
Maybe I should just enter the eight new dishes and leave out the older ones?
That actually seemed like a good idea.
Since the maximum was nine dishes, it wasn't mandatory to submit exactly nine.
By leaving one more spot open in the top ten, he'd be giving other participants a bit more of a chance.
With that thought, Qi Han smiled and said, "Senior Xuan Ye, for this year's food festival, Small Shop will only enter eight dishes."
"What?"
Xuan Ye's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
After all, having just one more dish in the festival's top ten rankings could bring tremendous fame and benefits to a restaurant.
Before coming here, he had guessed that Qi Han might agree, as the young owner had a pretty good temperament.
But he hadn't expected Qi Han to voluntarily reduce his entries by one dish to support the festival, making such a sacrifice and concession.
Yes, in Xuan Ye's mind, there couldn't be any other reason for Qi Han's decision to only enter eight dishes.
For a moment, this centenarian couldn't help but feel touched.
Young Qi is truly a good kid!
After confirming that Qi Han would indeed only submit eight dishes, Xuan Ye stood up and gave Qi Han a grateful look.
No, Qi Han made such a sacrifice—I must offer some compensation, or I won't feel at peace.
Hmm… it's decided. This time, I'll quietly increase the publicity for Small Shop's dishes that make it into the festival's top ten!
"Young Qi, rest assured—I, Old Xuan, will remember this favor!"
"Huh?" Seeing the grateful expression on Xuan Ye's face, Qi Han was slightly bewildered.
Did this guy just imagine something weird on his own?
Forget it, doesn't matter.
Not staying long at Small Shop, Xuan Ye left soon after receiving Qi Han's response.
Qi Han, meanwhile, comforted Pururu for a bit before carrying it upstairs.
The day's service was over, and it was time to sleep.
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